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Using the Halo MCP AI Agent With The ChatBot (Pre-Configured Environments)
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<style>p { margin: 0; }span.fr-emoticon.fr-emoticon-img { background-repeat: no-repeat !important; font-size: inherit; height: 1em; width: 1em; min-height: 20px; min-width: 20px; display: inline-block; margin: -0.1em 0.1em 0.1em; line-height: 1; vertical-align: middle; } span.fr-emoticon { font-weight: normal; font-family: "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "NotoColorEmoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Android Emoji", "EmojiSymbols"; display: inline; line-height: 0; } blockquote { border-left: solid 2px #5e35b1; color: #5e35b1; margin-left:0; padding-left:5px;}blockquote blockquote{ border-color: #00bcd4; color: #00bcd4;}blockquote blockquote blockquote{ border-color: #43a047; color: #43a047;} table.grid{ border-collapse: collapse;} table.grid td, table.grid th { border: 1px solid #ddd;} .fr-fic.fr-dib{ display: block; margin: 5px auto;}.fr-fic.fr-dib.fr-fir{ text-align: right; margin: 5px 0 5px auto;}.fr-fic.fr-dib.fr-fil{ text-align: left; margin: 5px auto 5px 0;}.fr-fic.fr-dii{ float: none; margin: 5px auto;}.fr-fic.fr-dii.fr-fil{ float: left; margin: 5px auto;}.fr-fic.fr-dii.fr-fir{ float: right; margin: 5px auto;}img.fr-dib.fr-fir { margin-right: 0; text-align: right;}img.fr-dib.fr-fil { margin-left: 0; text-align: left;}img.fr-dib { margin: 5px auto; display: block; float: none;}img.fr-bordered { box-sizing: content-box; border: solid 5px #CCC;}img.fr-shadow { box-shadow: 10px 10px 5px 0px #cccccc;}img.fr-rounded { border-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; -moz-background-clip: padding; -webkit-background-clip: padding-box; background-clip: padding-box;}</style><p><strong>In this guide we will cover:</strong></p><p><strong>- Overview</strong></p><p><strong>- Initial Setup</strong></p><p><strong>- The Chat Agent In Action</strong></p><p><strong>- What Can The Agent Achieve &amp; Return?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Related Guides:</strong></p><ul><li style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2783" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>AI Agents</strong></a></li><li style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2335" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Chat Bot and Chat Profiles</strong></a></li><li style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/1841" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Chat</strong></a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Overview</span></strong></p><p>When using the ChatBot, Halo&#39;s MCP server can be leveraged by AI Agents in order to evaluate your data and carry out actions within your Halo environment. As an example, this can be useful for obtaining quick data on your team and checking in on your profit and loss figures, or quickly checking off action points without having to leave your current page.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>This chat functionality is pre-configured in any Halo environments that were deployed on July 1st 2026 or later, but some minor initial setup is required and will be detailed in this guide. As this functionality utilises the <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2783" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI Agent</a> functionality, you do not need to plug in your own AI connection for it to function and you can use the <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2385" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">default Halo connection</a> if you wish to do so.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>If your Halo environment was deployed before July 1st 2026</strong> <strong>and you would like to set up this functionality, please refer to this guide: <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2876" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Halo MCP AI Agent: Chat Setup Guide</a>.</strong>&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong><em>Note: If your environment was deployed before July 1st 2026, you may have some pre-configured functionality in your environment that will simplify setting up this new functionality. If you would like more information on this, please refer to this guide: <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2726" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MCP Endpoint: Use the Chatbot to Query and Update Data in your Instance</a>.</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;">How does it work?</span></strong></p><p>Within the &quot;HaloAI Agent&quot; chat profile, there is a step to execute the &quot;Run Chat Agent&quot; runbook. When this runbook is triggered, a pre-configured <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2783" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI Agent</a> is prompted to get data or suggest actions relevant to the Agent&#39;s request.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In the event that the chat user requests any information regarding Tickets, the AI Agent will trigger an additional runbook called &quot;AI Run Report&quot;. This allows it to efficiently query the database, using a payload chosen by the AI Agent, and return accurate Ticketing data to the chat user.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong><em>Note: When utilising any MCP functionality in Halo, it is advisable to enable the logs for this by navigating to Configuration &gt; AI &gt; Halo MCP Server and turning on the setting &quot;enable MCP request logging&quot;. This will aid with any necessary troubleshooting.</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Initial Setup</strong></span></p><p>The &quot;AI Run Report&quot; runbook uses a <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2660" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">custom integration</a>, for which you must configure the connection prior to being able to use the functionality.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>To do this, first create the <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/1823" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">API application</a> by navigating to Configuration &gt; Integrations &gt; HaloPSA API and selecting the &quot;+ New&quot; button in the top right corner.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6Ijg2YTUyMDBlLTgzYjAtNGU5NC04N2UwLTc2MWVjMzU2NzM4ZCJ9.wG_pIDPQNGxfvif7dpcWcMzjOq8oFXvFQQcjSugtkFk" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="880" style="width: 882px; height: 481.747px;" height="482"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 1. Creating a new API application</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>When creating the application, select &quot;Halo Automation Identity&quot; as the authentication method; select an Agent with relevant permissions to log in as (an <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/1670" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">API only Agent</a> can be used here, or <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/1823" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">automation identity</a>), and then set the permissions to &quot;all:standard&quot;.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6ImU3YTU4MDg0LTg3NjktNGZkNy04MDljLTA1ZWQ0MzVjZTg5MSJ9.ok1foOsRk345eZRwZQRGzlF5w8boCb2kKwlAfWNuoNw" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="988" style="width: 990px; height: 600.22px;" height="600"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 2a. The authentication method for the new application should be &#39;Halo Automation Identity&#39;</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjFiZmRiMTA3LWQ2N2QtNDgzYS05MTE2LWZjYzE4MmE4YjQ0YiJ9.r7SJmNdm3OyZmejCKzgDVM0Okocd2DdXKQ__Rowx4y4" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="987" style="width: 989px; height: 507.258px;" height="507"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 2b. The permissions for the new application should be &#39;all:standard&#39;</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>Once the application has been created, navigate to Configuration &gt; Integrations &gt; Custom Integrations &gt; Custom Integrations and locate &quot;HaloPSA&quot;. This is the one being used by the &#39;AI Run Report&#39; runbook.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjFlOTNjZWUwLWY0NzItNDdmZi05ZjZmLTE1YTUwODhhYTQwNCJ9.dWrPT3Phqlu8fnATHlv_LFVxMaPY6sg8RSSV5pkOoX0" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="939" style="width: 941px; height: 609.007px;" height="609"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 3. Select the HaloPSA custom integration to apply the new API application</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>Edit the integration and select your new API application in the &quot;Run-as Application&quot; field before saving.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjdmNWQ5NjQ2LWM3YTQtNGJiNC05YjIwLTA2ZDU2ZjgxM2ZiMSJ9.Qclh0jFHWu0o6asgVmFsjz-DU1qyvyABnclK187iUvQ" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="915" style="width: 917px; height: 740.36px;" height="740"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 4. Select your new API application as the integration&#39;s identity</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>Your ChatBot functionality is now fully configured.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The ChatBot In Action</span></strong></p><p>This Agent ChatBot functionality uses the &#39;HaloAI Agent&#39; chat profile.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>A &#39;chat profile&#39; dictates the flow that the ChatBot follows during its conversation with the User/Agent. Chat profiles are available to be viewed and edited by administrators only, or by those given <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2426" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">access control</a>, and can be found in Configuration &gt; Chat &gt; Chat Profiles.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>For more information on chat profiles and how they work, please do refer to the relevant guide: <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2335" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-pasted="true">Chat Bot and Chat Profiles</a>.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjQ3NGZkZDEwLTI4ZmUtNGQ3OS1iYTdlLWIxYmY3YzgyMzRkOCJ9.QOGbiM_TYGj1xI3_3V8wH089RYk6l1gYpxS3lEVXEg8" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="918" style="width: 920px; height: 428.738px;" height="429"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 5. The HaloAI Agent chat profile for chats via the agent application</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>The HaloAI Agent chat profile has a simple flow, that starts with a greeting and then flows immediately into executing the AI Agent via the &#39;Run Chat Agent&#39; runbook.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6Ijk2NDk4NzA1LTI1OWYtNGJmNS04MzU4LWZkNDU2NDU2NTY3NCJ9.3ZB7eVa-EBR11KNAW0wDjIJMrisZHEY_1J8v-2nUNA8" alt="" data-pasted="true" class="fr-fic fr-dii" width="910" style="width: 912px; height: 609.369px;" height="609"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 6. The flow for the Halo AI agent chat profile for the agent application</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>As shown in Figures 7a and 7b respectively, to start a chat with the ChatBot in the Agent application you can either select the circular chat symbol in the lower right corner of your screen, or you can enter the chat area in your navigation menu and select the &quot;+ HaloMCP (Beta)&quot; button in the top right corner.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjY3MTBlYjM4LWIyZWYtNGNlZC1iMmU5LTM1NWRiMjJiYWI4OSJ9.cQwQGJ6m54hEHGogrZGogunF8MGs6vwBcv5C_NBtn5c" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="833" style="width: 835px; height: 637.146px;" height="637"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 7a. Starting a HaloMCP chat via the floating chat icon</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6ImNhZmQ0NDkyLTc4MjMtNDc4Zi1iMjYzLTRkZGEzNzBmODVlMyJ9.1QDC1tYVa1LblL7DAFUqj1HPj7XIoOwdDaVEyBzmDG8" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="960" style="width: 962px; height: 604.403px;" height="604"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 7b. Starting a HaloMCP chat via the chat area in Halo</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>As dictated by the chat profile shown in Figure 6, when you first start a chat, you will be greeted by the ChatBot who will ask how it can help.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjNhMDZhZTc3LWViYzUtNDcwZC1iNWI3LWIwYjAxOGU0Y2UyYiJ9.0EbX7E1ulA_cSVvPDU8AeSrqIG0eNE6WErWaQNHNQ_E" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="892" style="width: 894px; height: 552.064px;" height="552"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 8. The AI Agent will greet you as soon as you begin the chat with the ChatBot</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>Once you submit your question or request, an AI Agent is prompted to return relevant data according to the request.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>As an example, in Figure 9 you can see that I have asked for a list of current open tickets on the service desk. The AI Agent has returned a table of all the relevant Tickets and their information, including a hyperlinked ID for each one that will take me to the ticket itself in Halo.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6ImRjNzU5YzJhLTc1YzYtNDljMS05NmUzLWUxNmMyNzJiNmZkMSJ9.FItn9wnk6uYAZHyXz4_618ccjK5xMTSQvZoO1M5S63A" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="760" style="width: 762px; height: 608.962px;" height="609"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 9. Querying the MCP endpoint via the agent ChatBot</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>In Figure 10, I then tell the agent to add a note to one of the tickets stating that the issue has now been resolved.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjcyNzU4MWE4LTYzOGItNDA1OC1iMmY4LThmM2Y2NGVlZDFlNiJ9.RpQsxeffO0Pc_JMPKVbbWvYVfuvLBiFGkkRWPoqDHk0" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="768" style="width: 770px; height: 616px;" height="616"></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Fig 10. Instructing the AI Agent to add a note to a ticket</strong></span></p><p><br></p><p>The AI Agent carried out this task for me using the set of tools it has access to via the MCP server, demonstrating that I can action my tickets without even having to leave the chat or the page that I am on. Customising an AI Agent&#39;s available tools is covered later in this guide.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6Ijk3MDEzY2ZiLWQ5ZTktNGVhYi1iOGQzLTY5ZTU3NmE1NTI2YSJ9.JTGvazS25HmVHc5oeN0SVpksqbrKHXZ17-4WXf9TLws" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="814" style="width: 816px; height: 569.897px;" height="570"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 11. A note added to a Ticket by the AI chat agent</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>You may wish to view or modify the prompt for the AI Agent. This may be to provide it further context on your company or your processes, or to improve accuracy. You can do this by navigating to Configuration &gt; AI &gt; AI Agents, and selecting the &#39;AI Agents&#39; button. This will take you to the AI Agents area in Halo where you can select the &#39;Chat Agent&#39; AI Agent that is being used for this chat profile.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjQzNjVmMThmLWQ4OWQtNGUzMi1hZGRhLTFkNTI0MGFiZGE3NSJ9.AtwJsblzQ0q7rgqd1DZpBkvwGvZAMld9ZE2xBdZ346s" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="941" style="width: 943px; height: 664.373px;" height="664"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 12a. The AI Agents section within the AI configuration module of Halo</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjVjNDM2N2IwLTdmY2UtNDc5ZS05M2FkLTI1MjllYzMwMDFjOSJ9.9nnBNaeJiw8tcbAKQzABAq-KxwqK7x_8i8XZPMsBwl4" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="863" style="width: 865px; height: 414.91px;" height="415"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 12b. The AI Agent being used for this process is the &#39;Chat Agent&#39;</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>Within the &#39;Assistant Fields&#39; section of the agent you can view and edit the &#39;instructions&#39; being fed into OpenAI in order to customise your agent&#39;s behaviour.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6ImE3ZTI0MmUzLTZhODUtNGE1Mi04MGFlLTBlYjhkOTgyMjZlOSJ9.QToFOrM5X_w-6rgvigLTt3xz_lUWvx0YCxrenvKdeuQ" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="887" style="width: 889px; height: 592.504px;" height="593"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 13. The instructions/prompt for the ChatBot&#39;s AI Agent</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p><em><strong>Note: It is not advisable to change, add or remove any input variables for this Agent unless you are familiar with how AI Agents work and how the variables are handled/edited. For information on this, please do refer to the guide: <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2783" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI Agents</a>.</strong></em></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">What Can The Agent Achieve &amp; Return?</span></strong></p><p>The functions available to the AI Agent, and the data that it is able to return, are partly dependent on the tools made available to the Agent via the MCP server, and partly dependent on the prompt fed through to OpenAI via the AI Agent&#39;s instructions.</p><p><br></p><p>The Chat Agent has all system functions enabled (Figure 14).</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6IjkxOTYxMjA3LWE3NGMtNDg0Yy04MWY4LTIyYzIwOTExZDc2ZCJ9._TOYaJF6ZAoSikB3UgAX7mf8peaHhTDw4ahSGhXiV-0" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="631" style="width: 633px; height: 435.885px;" height="436"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 14. Enabling all system functions on an AI Agent</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p data-pasted="true">Although these functions are not listed, you can find details of the functions included in this guide: <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2783" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI Agents</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>In the Functions table beneath this checkbox, you can create new functions or, if you have deselected &quot;include all system functions&quot;, you can choose the functions available to the Agent. Please do refer to the <a href="https://www.usehalo.com/guides/2783" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI Agents</a> guide for details on system and custom functions.</p><p><br></p><p><strong><em>Note: You do not need to have the MCP endpoint enabled/exposed to be able to use AI Agents. Although they use the Halo MCP server, they have their own unique endpoint and their own set of available tools/functions.&nbsp;</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>In terms of retrieving ticketing data, although there are functions providing access to ticket data, the AI Agent is instructed to ignore these and follow the flow dictated in the instructions. This involves running the &quot;Data Sources&quot; report and selecting the most appropriate data source for the agent&#39;s request or question, it then uses this data source and the user&#39;s request to construct a report to run. Once the report is ready it executes the &#39;AI Run Report&#39; runbook to query the reporting endpoint and return relevant, formatted data to the chat. Performing this function rather than the system improves accuracy of the data returned to the chat by exposing the Agent to a greater number of data sources.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="https://halo.haloservicedesk.com/api/attachment/image?token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpZCI6ImRiNjg5OTMwLWEzZmItNGNhMi1hNWI3LWI1ZGU0YTJmYjE5ZCJ9.pi6EdXOUpW2_f8gxGi74sVtnwjFRFlYLSfdL8usjcJI" class="fr-fic fr-fil fr-dib" width="937" style="width: 939px; height: 687.637px;" height="688"></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fig 15. Instructions to the AI Agent to use custom functions instead of MCP tools for retrieving ticketing data</span></strong></p><p><br></p><p>As mentioned in the previous section, you can change these instructions if you wish to, including the JSON for constructing the report.</p>
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